The forbidden Alliance
by nim draug
Summary: Dwarves and Elves have never been good friends... so what will happen when they form an alliance together? Surely it is the right decision to make when fighting armies of orcs right?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Deep down in what had been considered a tomb was an enormous pile of rotting beasts. Each goblin spilled it's own pool of blood, together creating a black river in the mines. As the river flowed towards the hand carved stairs, the fluid flashed from the black of the shadows to the deep red blood of heroes.

Even when lifeless, the sight of the elves was breathtaKing. Their hair was knotted and sticky with blood and sweat. Their clothes were ripped and stained. And yet, they still looked beautiful. Their eyes were closed and their faces showed no expression - as if they were just sleeping.

But such peaceful thoughts cannot stay in the mind when the slashes on their smooth pale skin are visible. Some of the elves had been punctured by several greasy arrows. Only monsters with no hearts or souls could dare to harm such fine beings.

Amongst the lifeless elves were the shorter, more muscular dwarves. The two races fought, and died as one. And though many lives were lost; the fight to reclaim the Mines of Moria had been successful, thanks to the hearts of two best friends…

Gimli sat on the top of the spiralled stairs. It had been a long, exhausting three days for him and the other survivors. The sickening smell of the burning carcasses made it almost impossible from preventing the bile rising in his throat. Surprisingly, he was grateful that he hadn't replaced his lembas bread with salted pork as he had originally planned.

Slowly chewing on the soft elven bread he pondered on the whereabouts of his dear friend. They fiercely fought side by side in battle so they knew of each other's conditions. But after the battle was won, they went their separate ways so more work could be done. The two friends had both offered to scout the numerous sections of the mines for hiding orcs. Was Legolas hurt? He doubted it: when Legolas was in battle mode, he was terrifying.

Trying to distract himself from his nerves, he went to bite another piece of lembas. As he did, the bread slipped out of the leaves he carried them in and onto a lower section of the stairs. Clambering down the stairs, Gimli once again cursed the Greenwood elves for their love of trees; _they even wrapped their food in nature!_

On the other side of Moria, Legolas was having problems of his own…

Legolas slowed his pace to try and convince himself that the walls weren't shrinKing. His father has told him that, as he was claustrophobic, he shouldn't fight. His claustrophobia didn't affect him when he was fighting as his mind was distracted.

But the fight was over.

He blushed as he felt his knees weaken. He had stood before the great demon of Morgoth. He had fearlessly walked into several battles knowing that he may not see the next sunrise. He had faced uruk-hai, orcs, goblins, wargs, spiders and many more. But he was afraid of small spaces; _how pathetic. _He never told anyone about his embarrassing illness. Only his father knew and had sworn to secrecy after a tongue lashing from a very small Legolas years ago.

His chest suddenly felt very tight and he sat down, giving up trying to deny he was sick again. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe slow, even breaths.

He bolted up, forgetting to control his breathing when he heard a grunt coming from around the next corner. It was too dark to follow the shadows of the creature. So he listened.

Suddenly, Legolas felt someone grab his hair from behind. They violently smacked his head against the wall and (at first) believed him dead. As he was about to take a bite out of his elven meat, everything went black.

Legolas turned away as the head continued to roll across the floor. The world wouldn't stop spinning as he continuously tried to stand back up again. He sighed in defeat._ Why did I sit down? _

Trying not to be alarmed at the amount of blood pouring out of his head, Legolas tried to focus. The sound came from in front of him and yet he was attacked from behind. Deciding that this wasn't his mind playing tricks on him, he got out his knives – he still had company.

Thranduil walked the perimeter of the small room again. He had been pacing the room for a while now. Where were they? It would be unusual for one of them to be missing, but both of them. What were they doing?

He considered organising a search party, but quickly cast that idea aside: too many were injured and everyone else was occupied in getting food, healing the wounded and looKing for any surviving enemies.

Throwing his royal robes on the floor, revealing his simple ivy green under tunic and grey leggings, he walked out of the room. He would go himself.

First, he went to the spiralled stairs where Legolas was supposed to be. On one of the bottom steps was a single piece of lembas bread. He picked up the bread, trying his best not to notice the other elves keeping an eye on him again. He was glad that his people were loyal but they were overprotective at times.

He stared at the bread; his mind had now gone completely blank.

The other elves looked at him. At first they seemed puzzled. There thoughts changed when a large object fell on top of the King.

Everyone was by the King's side in an instant. They were all fussing over him and it took him over an hour to convince them that he was ok.

It turned out that the large object was actually Gimli who had fallen off the higher section of the staircase. But why was Gimli here? Legolas was supposed to be coming back this way. Thranduil decided to investigate this further, "I was expecting to find my son here Master dwarf", he commented.

"Oh, well we switched places. Legolas is scouting the lower levels."

"Can I ask why you switched places" the King said gritting his teeth.

"Well, Legolas said he didn't like the way other races see elves as the stereotypical: loving trees, always brushing their hair and scared of the dark. So anyway, I said that he can prove everyone else wrong by scouting the lower levels."

Thranduil stood up, "My son doesn't have to prove anything! If other races can only see us elves in one way, then they are blind as well as stupid! Didn't you think that there was a reason that I organised the scouting positions. I chose them for a reason and now you've changed everything!"

"Well the Earth doesn't revolve around you so don't think you can push me around because you've got a piece of metal wrapped around your head!" Gimli roared as he started making his way to the lower levels.

Thranduil grabbed his shoulder and span him around.

"I'll get him. You've caused enough trouble." He turned around again just before he entered the tunnel and whispered,

"If he's hurt; I'll kill you."

Legolas scanned the spinning room again: trying to find the hiding orc. He struggled to his feet. He desperately wanted to close his eyes but if he wanted to live, he had to focus.

He knew hiding wasn't an option: the orc would be able to smell the blood pouring from his skull. He had to fight.

A huge beast stepped around the corner. This was no orc, it was an uruk-hai. A really, really big one.

It was at last seven feet tall. His armour was thick and would be difficult to penetrate. But it had no weapon.

This fact did nothing to the uruk-hai's confidence. The fiend charged at Legolas and slammed him into the wall, forcing the prince to drop his knives.

Not only did Legolas hit his head again, but the monster had badly winded the elf. Before Legolas could take a breath, the swine wrapped his hands around Legolas' throat and squeezed.

His lungs screamed for air and the walls were so close to him that he was sure the tunnel had collapsed. _Why did I come down here? _

Just as he was about to give up, he heard a voice,

"Let go of my son or you'll breathe your last breath." It was his Adar. He had drawn his arrow and was aiming it at the thing's throat. _Ada is here, it's going to be ok. _

Despite Thranduil's warning, he didn't move.

He looked down at his son, whose eyes were barely open and whose face was gradually turning purple.

He shouted again, "I said move!"

Once again, it didn't listen. Instead it pressed it's knee on Legolas' chest. The minion of Sauron spoke, "If you move, I'll crush his ribs."

There was no guarantee that one shot would kill the swine due to it's size and a broken rib could easily puncture Legolas' lungs which would eventually kill him, so he didn't move.

Thranduil tried not to make it obvious that Legolas was curling his leg so he could reach the dagger in his boot. The Prince got it successfully, but he kept drifting in and out of consciousness. _Come on ion nin, stay awake, please!_

His son's attack was very weak. However, it gave the King enough time to shoot the thing, shoot it again, and shoot it again.

He threw the excuse of an animal to the side, revealing a bleeding, lifeless form.

He clamped his mouth over Legolas' and blew as hard as he could. It took a few attempts before his son was weakly coughing and gasping for air.

Thranduil heard a sneeze at the entrance of the tunnel; he called out,

"Can somebody help me please?"

Nobody came. Where were his loyal elves when he needed them?

As he started to pick his son up, his hand touched the back of Legolas' head which was dripping in blood. He improvised by ripping a strip of material from the middle of his tunic, and dressing the wound with it. The King quickly slotted the dropped knives back into their scabbards and carried his son to the healers.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Gloin stormed down to the healers. How dare that elf shout at his son! Gimli gave the elven prince the chance to gain some dignity for his race. How is that a wrong thing?

As he entered the room, he shouted, "How dare you shout at my son you pointy eared brute! You aren't his father so you have no right to do that. He did nothing wrong . If your son wasn't such a wimp, you wouldn't have to worry about him getting hurt all the time!"

Thranduil left the bedside and towered over him, "Would you call someone who enters countless wars, including ones that are for your races benefit, a wimp! Do you not feel concerned at all for your son when he is out of your sight?"

Gloin immediately replied, "Yes I do feel concerned for Gimli, but I wouldn't be so concerned that I would kiss my child when I got him back. Is that an elf thing? Or are you just a pervert? Don't deny it because one of my men witnessed it. "

"My son wasn't breathing! And trust a dwarf not to come to someone's aid when they are severely injured. Trust a dwarf to cause trouble."

"Gimli didn't cause any trouble."

"Legolas could have been killed!"

"By ONE uruk-hai with no weapon! He was armed with knives, a bow and daggers but he couldn't kill one uruk-hai!"

"He suffers panic attacks in small spaces – damn it - he's claustrophobic!"

"So he won't have the strength to fight with his knives, but why couldn't he shoot him? Well, he can't shoot when he's in good condition can he? Just look what happened in Helms Deep. He couldn't shoot one uruk-hai so hundreds of elves were killed in an explosion.!"

After that comment, Thranduil punched Gloin to the floor. He was dragged off him by an angry Gimli who kept repeating,

"GET OFF HIM!"

But the King didn't listen. He kept punching and didn't stop. This crazy elf was gonna kill him! Gimli continued trying to pull the King off but it just didn't stop him. Eventually, he stopped when Gimli said,

"Thranduil, Legolas is gone!"

Thranduil turned and saw that the bed that his son was sleeping in a few minutes ago was now empty. He completely forgot about the fight and ran after his son.

Gloin chuckled, _he ran away, so I win!_ Or so he thought.

As soon as the king left the room, Gimli cried, "What did you say that for! Legolas was listening, he heard everything and the worst thing is he believes it! You fool! What were you thinking... You shouldn't shout in a ward, people are trying to rest."

After that, Gimli left the room. He had upset Thranduil as planned, but he had also upset their sons.

Legolas was awake the entire time. He wanted to curl up in a ball and die when he heard his father shout out his weakness to the world. But when he heard what Gloin said, his heart stopped.

He didn't want his father to find out about that incident. He deliberately left that part out.

_My ada's going to disown me; he won't love me any more. I'm a murderer!_

He didn't get far before he could feel his father pulling him back. He tried to fight back, but turning his head too quickly made him throw up. He passed out before he hit the floor.

"Legolas!" the king yelled as he caught his son. He put his child back into bed before screaming for help.

Nobody came.

Thranduil was horrified when Legolas started fitting. He cried out again,

"Somebody help me please!"

The door flew open as three healers rushed into the room. Two of them ran straight to Legolas whilst the other one dragged the frightened father out of the room.

He tried to get back into the room, back to his son but the healer held him back before locking him out of the room.

There was nothing he could do. He sank down to his knees and wept.

Gimli didn't think Thranduil could cry. But he could, and he was.

Gimli couldn't help feeling sorry for him: he had only known Legolas for four years and they were now closer than brothers. How frightened must his father be after knowing Legolas for his whole life?

Gimli knew what he had to do. He had to make his father apologise. It wouldn't make Legolas better, but it would make some sort of peace between the two fathers.

He left the weeping King and set off to his father's headquarters which was in the North of Moria. The two races were separated after the war. Elves and dwarves healed differently so they decided not to help each other on the medical part. Because of this, he was in the South of Moria (were the elves were being healed).

There were no dwarves around.

Gimli tried to ignore the evil stares he was getting from the elves around him. He guessed that they had heard his father's argument.

As he turned the next corner, he was roughly shoved against the wall. It was an elf.

Two other elves came; one of them opened the door to an empty room whilst the other one helped drag the dwarf into it.

Gimli struggled but elves are amazingly strong, and there was three of them.

Two of the elves held Gimli's arms while the remaining one spoke, "You dwarves are all the same. Even Lord Elrond said that dwarves are greedy and don't care about the troubles of others."

"Lord Elrond said that before the fellowship was created. His views have changed since then" he boldly replied.

"Then you have twisted his mind like you twisted Legolas' and our Kings'. We helped you. Our people died to help you retake your realm and in return you injure our Prince and weaken our King. I don't think that's very fair. I think we need to teach you a lesson…"

They gagged Gimli and bound his hands.

And then they let him have it…

When Legolas opened his eyes, he gasped at the sight before him. His father looked awful: the delicate skin around his eyes were burning red, his dirt stained cheeks had streaks down them and he was slumped over Legolas' bed. He was exhausted.

The young elf lightly shook his father's shoulders. As Thranduil woke up, his son shuffled down the double bed so his father could rest properly. Thranduil took his son's invitation and lay beside him. Legolas tried to avoid having a conversation with his father by pretending to fall asleep again. Unfortunately, it didn't work. His father spoke, "Ion nin, we can't just ignore what Gloin said. Can we talk about it please?"

"Ada, you need to rest and you won't be able to sleep properly if you such horrors in your head. Trust me when I say you don't want to know."

At first, Thranduil didn't speak. His fingers traced the elfling's hairline down to his temple where he stopped.

Legolas couldn't do anything to stop his father from reading his soul. As soon as Thranduil looked into his son's eyes, he could see everything…

_The wall hadn't been breached yet. But they wouldn't hold for much longer. The men of Edoras and of course the son of Gloin, struggled to fight off the waves of uruk-hai storming up the ladders. _

_Legolas expertly shot a rope that was pulling up one of the badly crafted ladders, killing thirty of the slimy creatures. _

_All of the Lothlorien elves were shooting at the enemy. Each shot was always a hit. But the ladders soon sent the creatures to them as well so they had to draw their swords. _

_A lone uruk-hai drifted through the sea of filth with a flaming torch. Somehow they had managed to transport several mines under the wall. _

"_LEGOLAS!" Aragorn screamed. Legolas started to shoot at the fiend but it didn't fall. _

"_KILL HIM! KILL HIM!" Estel ordered. Legolas shot again and again desperately trying to take him down. _

_But he failed. _

_The wall exploded, killing all of the elves that had fought above it. Aragorn fell off the wall and lay unconscious in front of the uruk army. _

_Gimli bravely hurled himself off the wall and battled the animals but it wasn't long before he was pushed under water._

_They charged through the wall, trampling on the elves that Legolas had failed to save. One of them was Thranduil's best friend, Haldir. _

Thranduil couldn't watch anymore. He didn't know Haldir was dead. The elf that he grew up with, who had helped him tackle every obstacle was gone.

He snapped out of his trance when Legolas bolted from the room. Before he could follow, Gloin entered the room. He was surprisingly quiet. Two elvish healers followed him in. Their knuckles were grazed and glowed red. A third healer walked in – carrying Gloin's dead son.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Gloin had never been a quiet person but at that time, he was lost for words. He always thought he would be the one to leave Middle Earth first.

It would have been that way if it wasn't for those heartless elves. He didn't know which ones did it, but only an elf would do such a thing.

As soon as his child was gently placed in Legolas' bed, the three healers left.

But Thranduil stayed. He was silent for a while, not knowing what to say.

The day was nearly over before the King finally spoke,

"Gloin, I assure you, the people responsible for this will be severely punished. I too believe that unfortunately this work is the work of an elf. I will have my men track him down so justice can be done."

"Thank you but I think I will hunt this pointy eared murderer with people I can trust. Dwarves. Do you think my brain is smaller than a mushroom? I know what you were planning. You would send out your men and they wouldn't find anything because they may _accidentally _miss something."

Thranduil's voice deepened as he stood over the grieving father,

"My son cared for this dwarf. When he finds out what happened to him he'll be heartbroken. Even if I wanted to I wouldn't be able to stop Legolas hunting down the killer."

"Your son didn't care about my boy, it was all just a scheme to form an alliance with the dwarves and Gimli saw that, so your excuse of a son tortured my lad, my son. Your son is just as evil as you are. Get out and let me have some time with my son."

As Gloin was grieving, Thranduil decided that the dwarf was upset and would come to his senses when he had calmed down. He quietly left; he needed to find his son before Legolas found Gimli.

When Legolas' eyes had stopped stinging he got up to make his way back to his bed. He had come to a decision: this was his fault so he would face whatever punishment was thrown at him, even if his father disowned him.

He felt like his intestines had been tied into a thousand knots. But Legolas was stubborn, like his father, so he didn't change his mind.

He burst into the room and found that his father wasn't there. He had imagined that two elves were going to be in this room: him and his father but instead he found two dwarves.

If looks could kill, the elven Prince would be dead by now. But Legolas was more afraid when he looked at his best friend.

The sight stabbed at his heart: Gimli's beard was stained in his own blood; his face was covered in purple blotchy bruises and the rest of his skin was whiter than the bed sheets he lay in.

Gloin was about to tell Legolas to leave but he wanted to see his reaction. He would know if this elf was crying crocodile tears.

And the tears flowed like rain in a storm. The once proud Prince shrank down, clinging to his friend as if his own life depended on it as he sobbed his heart out.

Legolas was either not faking it, or he was a really good actor but whichever it was made Gloin feel sorry for the elfling. In fact, he showed a lot of respect for the child,

"I'm sorry lad. He's dead."

"N-no… he can't be he can't-" he croaked still clinging onto Gloin's son.

For a while, they all stayed like that until Thranduil came in and embraced his son. He didn't say anything. Nothing would make him feel better, if no words can bring him back, there's no point in speaking.

Stinging eyes opened when Legolas' hand rested on his friend's neck _I can feel a pulse! _

Gloin was at first furious at Legolas' laughs but understood when the young elf grabbed his hand and placed on his son's neck. He was alive!

The dwarf scooped his still limp son into a warm embrace, whispering, "thank you, thank you," over and over again as Legolas dived into his fathers arms crying with relief...

Legolas pulled himself from his father's arms when he realised something, "Gloin, who told you Gimli was dead?"

"Those three elf healers that brought him in. Why?"

"Gimli wasn't beaten do death. Someone would have heard the thudding. Whoever it was hit Gimli's face a few times and then did something else. But what?"

Thranduil then spoke when Legolas' idea made some sense to him,

"I saw grazes on their hands, it must have been the healers. They brought Gimli in here to make themselves look innocent. They couldn't stab him, this place is packed so they would have got caught trying to get rid of the evidence. So they must have used-"

"Poison!" Legolas cried, "which means… we can still save him!"

As soon as he said it the three of them set to work: Thranduil ordered the guards to arrest the healers; Gloin got a sample of Gimli's blood and Legolas got the potions and antidotes.

One by one, Legolas dropped a few drops of each potion into the bowl which contained some of Gimli's blood. Each potion was an indicator for a particular poison. If the blood changed colour, that was the poison that was in his body.

They had almost tested the blood for every poison and were beginning to lose hope. But the silence was finally broken when Legolas yelled,

"Atheltus! He was poisoned with atheltus!"

Legolas found the correct herbs needed and passed them to Thranduil who mixed them with water to make a broth. Gloin then slowly poured the broth into his son's mouth, bit by bit, and rubbed his throat so his son wouldn't choke on it. It was a slow process, but it could save Gimli which meant a lot to all three of them.

A few hours later, the exhausted three could see sweat dripping from Gimli's forehead.

He had a fever.

But this was a good thing compared to the state he was in before. The fever was a sign that his body was fighting the poison. However, if his temperature isn't controlled, some of his internal organs would eventually stop working which would kill him.

This meant that Gimli had to be bathed in cold water once a day and had to have a drink of cold water after his daily broth. Someone had to be by his side at all times.

The three of them shared the jobs between them so they could rest when they needed it. Things were starting to get better: Thranduil and Gloin were working together and hadn't killed each other yet; the healers were behind bars where they couldn't harm anyone else and Gimli was going to live.

Gimli was going to survive.

Thranduil watched his son sleep. For five days, Legolas had avoided talking to Thranduil about Helms Deep. Whenever he brought up the topic, his son would go and dip Gimli's already wet cloth in cold water before putting it back on his head. But Gimli's fever had gone now and all they were waiting for was for him to wake up. Legolas has no more excuses now.

He thought he'd better start talking while Gloin was asleep. He woke Legolas who seemed to know what was coming. Despite this, he didn't try and get away and let his father speak,

"Legolas, I'm not angry at you and I don't blame you for any of this. But I can't just ignore something that is haunting your dreams."

At first, his son didn't answer. But the fresh tears rolling down his cheeks showed that he had heard. After a few shaky breaths, he finally spoke,

"You saw everything Ada. You saw what I did and I am so sorry. I - I tried."

Thranduil sat beside his son and wiped the tears away with the back of his hand,

"I know you did. You can't win all of the time ion nin, nobody can. You tried and you didn't stop trying until the very end. Nobody could have asked any more from you."

"He's right lad." Both elves turned to see Gimli who had just spoken. He looked tired but his skin was now a healthy pink and he was talking,

"Aragorn asked you for help for a reason: he trusts you. He knew that if you couldn't do it, nobody could."

Legolas had never thought of it in that way before and when he did, the guilt started to wash away.

For the next few days, everything seemed much brighter. But every sun has to set…


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The carcasses had been tossed into a pile and burned before the lumpy ashes were thrown over the mountain side. Tombs had been made for the fallen dwarves and the fallen elves had been carefully placed into wagons so they could be taken home and buried.

But what was to be done with the prisoners?

That was the question that rolled through everyone's minds. How could they be sentenced in an unbiased way?

Gloin hadn't thought of this. He didn't care. He just wanted the traitors dead. But that wouldn't convince the council so he'd have to think of something more convincing than just wanting revenge…

Over half of the elves had already left for Mirkwood, wanting to get the dead home as soon as possible to prepare them for the ceremony. But the rest stayed: wanting the King and his son to return home with protection once the council was over.

Legolas dressed as smartly as he could – though he only had war clothes so in this case, simple was smarter. His golden hair flowed freely down his back over his green patterned tunic which perfectly matched his leggings.

His father had made a different approach – he wore a range of greys along with a long robe and a circlet.

They walked into the throne room together and took their seats. The council was about to begin…

There were several scribers (both elves and dwarves) in the background, eager to write down everything that was being said. As agreed, there were six representatives for each race including the two rulers and their sons.

A very confident Gloin stood up and begun the debate,

"As you all know, we are here to decide what is going to happen to the traitors that tried to kill _**my**_ son. Personally, as they tried to kill a dwarf in a dwarf kingdom, I think they should be sentenced by the dwarves. Let me see a show of hands of those who agree…"

Five hairy hands rose in the air. Gimli kept his hand down so as seven hands – the majority hadn't voted for the idea, the decision hadn't been made.

So Thranduil had a go,

"My friends, I think that the members of _**my **_realm should only be sentenced by the King that they have served for many years. Believe me when I say that at the very least, these creatures will be banished from my realm. I am not kind to those who oppose and harm others – especially people of high importance. Do we all agree?"

Six hands were raised – five elves and Gimli. The elven King was shocked when he saw that his son kept his hand down. If his son had put his hand up he would have won.

But he hadn't so he had to try and convince him to change his mind,

"Gimli, I saw you raise your hand. Surely as you were the one who was attacked your opinion is the one that is most important. Please share your thoughts." The king smiled, his son had never gone against his best friend. He was going to win this.

Gimli stayed seated when Thranduil sat down. Valar, he was so tired. But he had to make sure his father didn't lose control. His words were slow and quiet, but everybody listened,

"I honestly don't want any more to do with my attackers so the first thing I want is to have them as far away from me as possible. Also, they will have an idea of what the punishment will be if they are sentenced by their own King. That may have been why they did it: they may not have done it if they thought the punishment was something different. And finally, it would be hypocritical of my people if we did to them what they tried to do to me. We shouldn't sink to their level."

Legolas looked up at that point but when the time came he still refused to raise his hand. However, several dwarves raised their hands, respecting Gimli's wishes.  
As Thranduil was about to claim his prize, Gloin stood up and turned to Gimli,

"I understand that you're too weary to deal with these mongrels lad, but that's why I'm here. It would be hypocritical of them to do what your attackers did to you. Changing who makes the sentence doesn't change that. And what if this King Thranduil lets them go when he hears their side of the story? Surely you want justice."

With that comment, all of the dwarves withdrew their votes.

Legolas looked back at the floor. He still had a lump on his head which throbbed more with every passing second and they weren't getting anywhere. Both parties were too stubborn to realise that neither side was going to back down.

He could feel his father's eyes boring into him, but he did nothing. So his father dragged him into the conversation,

"Well my son," he hissed, "it seems that you haven't voted for either party. Are you refusing to participate? Do I have to replace you with someone more useful or do you have a different option?"

Rubbing his aching head, Legolas stayed silent and tried to think. He frowned, struggling to think of an option that wouldn't include his father or Gloin. But then it hit him…

"I have an option," he began, "One that would take away the bias opinions of either ruler. I propose that we have the prisoners sent to Rivendell where they can be sentenced by Lord Elrond. He has welcomed both elf and dwarf into his kingdom and in court, he would not favour one over another. Does anyone vote for my option?"

Ten hands were raised. Only the stubborn rulers refused to vote but that mattered not as Legolas had the majority vote. Wanting this council to be over, he quickly brought it to a close before the two fathers could find another way to sway the rest of the council,

"The Deeds and a copy of one of the scribes will be sent to Lord Elrond along with a letter so he will know of our arrival. The prisoners will be bound and locked in separate carriages for the journey and each party can bring twenty warriors for the journey. You are all dismissed."

And with that, everyone left. Gimli smiled at Legolas before leaving to his chambers, feeling more relieved that there will be a fair resolution to this mess. Gloin wasn't happy: Elrond was an elf but at least Thranduil hadn't won. His father on the other hand was furious. Grabbing him by the shoulders, he yelled,

"Don't you ever humiliate me like that again!" before pushing his son to the floor and leaving.

Thranduil didn't see his son's head hit a chair on the way down.

The Prince lay there for a while, his head now feeling light and cold. But he knew he had to stay awake so he could complete the task at hand.

He clambered to his feet and slowly made his way towards one of the scriber's desks. As ordered, they had left the Deeds and a copy of what happened in today's council – word for word. Taking a clean sheet of parchment, he began to write the letter that would go along with it:

_Dear Lord Elrond,_

_I would like to report our progress in Moria. We have defeated all of the enemy that once lurked in the mines. Unfortunately, there was a great price to pay as many lives were lost from both races. _

_I am afraid to report that the bond holding this alliance together isn't very strong. After the war was won Gimli was brutally attacked by three of my people who have been imprisoned until further notice. _

_Today we held a council to decide which ruler would sentence these attackers. I persuaded the majority that neither ruler should judge them as the decision would be biased meaning the sentence may be too harsh/soft. _

_We have finally agreed that you should be the one that judges them. We are going to set off at day break so we should arrive in two weeks. I have ordered that only twenty warriors per race can come to protect their kings. _

_I hope you agree with my decision and I am looking forward to seeing you again._

_Legolas Greenleaf_

_P.S. Enclosed in this letter is everything you will need in court. _

Thranduil couldn't get rid of the guilt that was planted in the pit of his stomach. He had never been violent towards Legolas. This alliance was changing him in a bad way.

Now that he had thought about it, he was very proud of Legolas for not following the crowd and making a very wise decision. Legolas deserved to know this, so he searched for him.

He went to the throne room first and was horrified to see blood dripping from the corner of a chair into a red puddle on the floor. He followed the red splatters on the floor which led to his son who was slumped over a desk asleep.

The King gently lifted his son off the desk. Seeing that he had finished the letter, he sealed the letter in an envelope with wax and put it in his robe pocket.

His son moaned as he tried to open his eyes. Seeing his father, he covered his wound, but his father cupped his face in his hands and inspected the damage anyway,

"Ion-nin, I don't know what's come over me. Look at what I've done to you…Forgive me, let me heal you please."

The Prince could see the guilt etched on his fathers face. He put his hand over his heart before putting it over his fathers – a sign of forgiveness.

Thranduil helped his son stand, keeping his arm around his waist for support and led him to his room. There he dressed his wounds and made sure his son rested.

After luncheon, they packed everything they needed for the journey ahead early so they could get even more rest before they departed.

That plan didn't work as the pair ended up laughing into the early hours of the morning, but they did eventually drift off into sweet reverie before the sun could rise.

The next day, the two parties were ready to set off: Gloin was driving one of the carriages and had insisted that the dwarves drove the remaining two. Thranduil let Gloin have his way, but he had two of his warriors riding beside each carriage making it clear that the dwarf had no advantage over him. One half of the remaining warriors surrounded each of the leaders and the other half set off immediately to scout ahead. And as always, Gimli sat behind Legolas on Arod – just like old times.

Everything was set and a bird had already flown away with the letter for the Lord of Rivendell. The horses and ponies started walking.

They were going to Rivendell.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

Gimli slept for most of the first day, his herbs making him feel sick and tired. He was glad to be on a horse that he knew would not let him fall.

Legolas could feel Gimli leaning on his back as he rested but he didn't mind. He was surprised that Gimli decided to join them on their trip: the court could come to a decision without him as long as they had a report of his injuries and of their intent. But Gimli insisted that he needed to be there, so Legolas agreed to let him come on the condition that they could ride together so he could rest.

However, there were points were the dwarf would throw up on the path due to him swaying on the horse, making him nauseous.

After this had happened three times, Thranduil ordered everyone to set up camp. Gloin, for a change, appreciated Thranduil's actions.

Legolas quickly went to Gloin once Gimli was settled down on the grass, "Gimli has found the first day difficult. He's had plenty of rest but he's relieved his stomach of it's contents several times so you might want to make sure he eats something… Oh and he's already had his dose of herbs for today but he'll need some early tomorrow morning."  
Gloin smiled and thanked the youth before going to his son, whilst Legolas left to go and find his father.

Thranduil was on the edge of camp receiving reports from the scouts. Two elves and two dwarves were in each of the two groups. One group was sent to cover the West and one the East. The East group had killed a spider and destroyed it's nest and the West group had spotted and killed an orc scout that was heading South.

Thranduil hoped that the rest of the orcs would accidentally miss the group when heading South. However, Moria was South so he ordered his son to send a bird with a warning there.

The North scouting team had not yet arrived until later on which worried both rulers, but the team arrived later on foot.

They reported that they didn't see any enemies but the River Bruinen had been poisoned, killing their horses and ponies.

After hearing this information, the King gathered the troops together to make an announcement,

"The River Bruinen has been poisoned so none of you will fill your water skins before it is checked again. The poison should have drained away in a few days. However, this means we cannot feed off any fish and the animals will not be able to drink unless you are willing to sacrifice some of your water for them. There are spiders in the East and orcs in the West. We can miss them both if we ride now – for longer and at a much quicker pace. The sooner we reach Rivendell, the sooner we are out of harm. Pack your things, we are leaving immediately."

The cool night air left Gimli feeling more refreshed and awake. He conversed with Legolas and almost enjoyed the journey. But the ride didn't stop for two days meaning Gimli had to endure two attacks from the hot sun before he could sleep on the cool grass once again.

They all had to ration both food and water until further notice whilst sharing the water with the horses. At the pace the Elven King had set, this was very difficult.

They rode for two days and rested repeatedly for the first week but going so quickly meant they could arrive in Rivendell three days early.

On the eighth day, they were riding alongside the river and could see several small fishes floating on its surface. But there were some bigger fish that were still alive so it was evident that the poison was slowly draining away. The West group couldn't cross the river to scout so Thranduil guessed that the orcs couldn't either: they had passed the orcs without being spotted.

The King announced that they would ride hard for one more day to be on the safe side and then he would slow down the pace.

He was true to his word and gave them a day's rest. Now that the river had been given enough time to drain away the poison, they could fill their skins, let their horses and ponies drink, and get fish for their meals.

By this time, Gimli was feeling much better. He didn't have to take herbs anymore and had gained his appetite back. The extra day made him feel well rested so he offered to go fishing with his father.

One of the carts had been pulled into one of the more shallow parts of the river; the water barely covered the first half of the wheels. Sat on top of the cart was Gloin. In his hand was a stick with some string tied around it that trailed into the water. On the end of the string was a small hook carved out of wood.

Gimli remembered his father teaching him how to make these simple fishing lines when he was younger. They could be quickly made out of the simplest of things – but they were very effective: Gloin had already caught five meaty fish for later on.

He made himself a fishing line and challenged his father to a fishing contest. Being careful not to harm the bathing horses at the front of the cart, he threw his line into the water and the task began...

Legolas was further up the river where it was much calmer. The faint sounds of the two dwarves cheering made him smile. _Things are going to get better. _

After he splashed his face with water, he stopped. Floating in the water was a black arrow – _how did it get from one side of the river to the other? _

Frowning, he stood up and ran to a nearby tree. The tree only said one word repeatedly…"Run!"

The two dwarves grabbed the sides as the cart started to wobble. The horses had become distressed. Maybe it was the water…Probably not.

Without warning the horses charged into the water, taking the cart along with it. They were halfway through the river when a group of wargs revealed themselves so the horse turned around and tried to run away.

The cart wobbled dangerously, throwing the two dwarves into the river before the cart toppled onto its side, crushing everything beneath it.

Dozens of arrows soared through the air, all hitting their targets. The dwarves ploughed through all of the obstacles in their way of the cart – they had to be saved. The elves protected them as best as they could – firing at anything that came near them.

Unfortunately, it was impossible for the dwarves to lift the cart and fight for their lives at the same time, despites the elves' help.

Gloin could feel his son struggling next to him. He didn't have a plan of how to get out and even if he did, he couldn't really communicate with him underwater.

What Gloin didn't know was that Gimli did have a plan - and it was working. The river bed moved beneath him as he struggled, giving him more room. He had managed to get his feet through the window of the cart, he just needed to get the rest of his body through.

Gloin noticed that his son was getting free, so he tried too. He had no window to climb through so he'd have to get out the other way. Several hands grabbed Gloin's upper arms, pulling him free from the water. Despite just being deprived of air – this dwarf was still full of strength: as soon as an axe was placed in his hands, he started to cut through the creatures before him. A quick glance showed him that his son was alive and was now clambering out of the side of the cart.

What he failed to see was the elf that Gimli was chasing – one of the prisoners was free...

Thranduil's arrows were spent. He jumped on his mount and faced the remaining wargs head on. His faithful elves followed him, leaving the remaining carts unattended.

The prisoners took their chance and broke free, running away from the battle to find their friend... and finish off the dwarf.

Legolas hadn't got very far when the orcs came upon him. He tried to keep running, occasionally turning around to fire a couple of arrows but his quiver quickly emptied and he ended up having to use his knives which danced with an amazing speed, cutting down the enemy quickly.

Until reinforcements came.

For every one he killed, three took its place. He blocked one attack whilst slashing another's throat. He turned and gutted his other opponent, not expecting an arrow to cut through his hand. One knife fell to the floor – his right hand was now useless. But he stayed calm and put that arm behind his back _just like in training _and carried on fighting.

The filthy creatures had their backs to their oncoming enemies. The first elf seemed shocked that he'd run into a pack of orcs, but going back meant getting a death sentence. He couldn't get captured, so he had to fight.

Gimli at first wanted to catch the elf before he got away, but when he saw his friend fighting for dear life with the orcs that were now thirsty for the elven blood that dripped from his hand, he changed his mind. The prisoner didn't matter, his friend did.

Not far behind was the other two prisoners; if they were gonna escape, they had to escape together. They had been friends for a long time and wouldn't leave one behind to bear a punishment alone.

So now the five of them were fighting the orcs and the numbers seemed to drop quick. Strangled shrieks filled the air.

Silence.

All of Sauron's minions had fallen. The three prisoners closed in around Gimli, knives in hand, ready to strike. Each blade swooped down to strike him, but were expertly blocked by his axe.

Legolas watched in horror at his friend struggling to fight three strong and quick elves.

A hiss escaped through gritted teeth as he quickly ripped the arrow from his hand. Ignoring the stinging pain, he retrieved his lost knife with his bloody hand and intervened...

Gimli was now behind Legolas who was in a very protective stance, blocking him from the three traitors before them, "Leave the dwarf alone." The Prince's stance didn't change as the other three moved forward, but he called to Gimli, "Gimli, you have to go now. I'll hold them off so you can get a safe distance."

"Do you really think I'm gonna leave your side?"

"Yes, because you know two isn't better than three."

"But one's even worse! Lad, you aren't making any s – ooh," he was running before he could finish his sentence. He had to be quick: He knew Legolas could handle them for some time. But how long? And how much shorter will that time be now that he is injured?

The thoughts spurred him on, that and the sounds of swords clashing together behind him...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The Prince twirled, ducked span and danced with his two knives – dogging and blocking every move that came his way and attacking at every possible opportunity. But he was slowly losing the fight: the hot stinging pain started to turn into a muscle numbing ache making him want to let go of the knife in that hand, the blood that flowed from there also made the handle slippery. His weak grip didn't become unnoticed by the three traitors – as one elf swooped his sword downwards, Legolas jumped to block the blow to his legs, not seeing the blade that made contact with his wrist making him drop one of his knives.

His moves were now desperate and the Prince couldn't help panicking , _Gimli, where are you?_

The dwarf pushed the pang of despair from his stomach, determined to get help for his friend. He knew who to look for, it was just finding him in the massacre that lay before him: a mass of wargs and orcs lay dead among the floor being trampled on by their unloving companions who were charging at the elves in the trees; some were surrounding the huddle of dwarves, not knowing that by doing so, they were sentencing themselves to a very painful and unmerciful death.

The man he was looking for galloped from the trees, covered in black blood and looking more ferocious than ever. Part of Gimli was too afraid to walk up to the angered King, but the thought of Legolas fighting alone spurred him on, "Thranduil! Your son needs you – Thranduil!" the King heard his words and pulled him onto his horse, "Show me the way – quickly."

The Prince only had one knife to block three and couldn't find any opportunities to attack back. All he was doing now was blocking and backing away – he was trying to run.

"I can see him!" Thranduil yelled as he charged at the elves attacking his son. He pushed his son behind himself and Gimli as the two newcomers attacked. They pushed Legolas away whenever he tried to intervene – but they were doing it to save him, not to make him look weak. Legolas took a dagger from each of his boots and waited for the right moment.

Gimli and Thranduil were now back to back – all three elves just wanted to hurt the dwarf, not the King so the pair had to keep spinning so the dwarf couldn't get seriously injured. But the three managed to see their plan quite quickly so one of them quickly intercepted them, blocking the King from the dwarf while the other two attacked Gimli.

Thranduil was fighting the quickest of the three but a quick glance at his son bleeding at the side made his blood boil – this elf would pay.

Gimli was having a harder time fighting his battles, when one aimed for his head, the other aimed for his legs. This meant he had to drop his axe and fight with his two smaller throwing knives so he could block in two places at once. And he was always ducking and jumping to dodge blows. But a well aimed kick in the groin sent one of his attackers flying but that distracted him from the blade that struck his shoulder sending him down too.

Legolas sent one of his daggers to the elf's throat, stopping him from hurting his friend further. That was one down – two to go.

Thranduil dropped backwards to dodge a head blow, rolled up and slit his opponent's throat – only one more left.

Gimli was still on the floor, grasping his shoulder when the elf behind him got up and put his knife to his throat.

"Wait!" it was Legolas, "don't do this: this dwarf has brought an opportunity to us that we can't refuse – he has brought us hope. We all knew deep down that we wouldn't all get along, but he has brought us hope. Are you gonna take Mirkwood's last chance to survive?"

"You have been blinded from the truth my Prince – you know what happened last time the royals trusted the dwarves. It will happen to you. I'm saving you Legolas I'm savin - " the elf slumped forward revealing a throwing axe embedded in his back. Gloin appeared from the trees rushing to his son as Thranduil ran to Legolas.

"Ada? What's going to happen now? There are no prisoners to be sentenced now – do we still go to Rivendell?"

"Yes – we need to tend to the injured and get them to help quickly, now stop worrying and let me see your arm," Legolas complied in silence. Those words wouldn't get out of his head, _you know what happened last time the royals trusted the dwarves. It will happen to you._

_It will happen to you..._


End file.
